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Marvel collectible game coming to Facebook, iPhone

Call us crazy, but we always suspected that the sort of projects MechWarrior / Shadowrun / Crimson Skies IP holder Smith & Tinker would work on would ... well, would be one of those three properties. But the company has continued to confound our expectations, first with kid-friendly MMO Nanovar and now with the announcement of a Marvel-licensed digital collectible game for Facebook, iPhone and other iOS devices due in 2011.

As you can see in then press release after the break, details are otherwise scarce, but Andreea Enache-Thune, Games and Digital VP at Marvel, assures us "this agreement [is] something Iron Man, Wolverine, Thor and Captain America are all quite proud of."

... Seriously, guys? You have Captain America and Thor sitting in on biz dev deals? There wasn't something more pressing they needed to attend to? Fine, but if anybody got mugged and/or murdered while your were at P.F. Chang's, hurriedly pitching Wolverine on your Facebook game, that's on you.

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SMITH & TINKER TO UNLEASH MARVEL COLLECTIBLE GAME ONLINE

New digital collectible game bringing Marvel Super Heroes and villains to Facebook and Apple iOS platforms

BELLEVUE, Wash. – September 13, 2010 – Smith & Tinker®, the Seattle-based connected game company, has just announced that it has entered a licensing agreement with Marvel Entertainment, and will draw upon their vast universe of Super Heroes including Iron Man, Spider-Man, Hulk, X-Men, Wolverine, Thor and Captain American. Under the terms of the agreement, Smith & Tinker has plans to create a Super Hero digital collectible game on Facebook and Apple iOS for release next year.

"At Marvel we are working to capitalize on the evolution of the consumer market and the new expectations our audience has for accessing entertainment and games," said Andreea Enache-Thune, Vice President, Games and Digital at Marvel. "Smith & Tinker is strongly positioned to deliver a fully immersive game experience that uniquely integrates web and mobile play. The company shares our passion for bringing stories to life and integrating content among a wide range of entertainment media, making this agreement something Iron Man, Wolverine, Thor and Captain America are all quite proud of."

Advancing on its core strategy of connecting online and offline play, S&T is now solely focused on the development of games that offer seamless web and mobile play, providing players an integrated experience regardless of platform. By aligning with Marvel, Smith & Tinker strengthens its focus on quality branded content, technological innovation, and brings a new vision of creativity and excitement to some of the most iconic and renowned characters ever created.

"Marvel has done an amazing job connecting generations of fans to an enormous universe of characters through comic books, movies, television and merchandise, " said Joe Lawandus, co-founder, Smith & Tinker. "At Smith & Tinker we're excited to bring their huge portfolio of Super Heroes to Facebook and Apple's mobile platform letting fans collect and battle while at their computer or on the go. Supernatural things are sure to happen with our companies joining forces."

The first Smith & Tinker product to launch under the Marvel agreement will be released in 2011. More information on the company is available at www.smithandtinker.com.